Are grandparents morally obliged to care for their grandchildren?

The author revisits the moral obligation to care for children in the context of the current interest in kinship care arrangements. Briefly noting the argument that parents do have such a moral obligation, he then turns to grandparents.

He first examines some legal incidents of the grandparental relationship before considering grandparents’ social role. He argues that this insufficiently defined to be possible to construct a moral obligation that grandparents should care for grandchildren where parents default. The primary moral and legal obligation to care for those children rests with the community and is assigned to local authorities. He further argues however that just as legal obligations can be generated by grandparents agreeing to care for grandchildren, so too can moral obligations which did not exist merely by virtue of the grandparental relationship.

He concludes by noting that at least some grandparents have been pressured to take on full responsibility for grandchildren, particularly by accepting special guardianship. There is no moral obligation on them to do so. But, if they do, this gives rise to moral responsibilities both for them and for the state to support them in this role.